Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State on Monday flagged off the reconstruction of the Oshodi-International Airport Road, assuring that the project would be completed and handed over within 15 months.
The reconstruction will entail expansion of the existing carriage to three-lane expressway on both directions, construction of two-lane service road in both directions, construction of ramp bridge to provide a U-turn from Ajao Estate to the airport, construction of a flyover at NAHCO/toll gate and drainage works.
Others include the removal of existing pedestrian bridge at Ajao Estate and construction of pedestrian bridges at Ajao Estate and NAHCO/Hajj Camp, construction of slip road to provide access to Ajao Estate, construction of lay-bys and installation of streetlights, among others.
Governor Ambode had announced last month at his quarterly town hall meeting with the residents of Lagos in Badore area of Ajah that the reconstruction of the road would commence in September, after the Federal Government acceded to his request to release the road to Lagos for reconstruction.
The airport road is a major gateway into Nigeria. Its poor state has for years constituted an embarrassment to the country, especially in the estimation of foreigners entering for the first time through the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos.
Adebowale Akinsanya, commissioner for waterfront infrastructure development, said the flag off of the project indicated the commitment of the state government to transform that axis, being the major gateway to the country’s commercial nerve centre.
He said the state decided to undertake the reconstruction of the road being one of the busiest roads in Lagos, with vehicular volumes averaging 50,000 vehicles daily, and that its poor state was not acceptable for the status of the state as the fifth largest economy in Africa and the nation’s commercial hub.
He said some of the fences along the corridor have been identified to be within the right of way, but that government would minimise the impact of the project on property owners.
He said in order to properly carry along people of the area, a stakeholders’ meeting will hold on Thursday to sensitize the people whereby they will have an opportunity to ask the necessary questions.
He said to fast-track the project, three group of workers would work on the project and they would work day and night, while upon completion, the project would be linked to the Oworonshoki reclamation project, which is also ongoing and is aimed at transforming the corridor to a major entertainment and tourism hub.
He urged residents and motorists to cooperate with government while the construction will last, saying that the intention was to transform the area.
“There will be some minor inconveniences but we are going to try to mitigate the impact. The work will be accelerated. The project is to make life easier for everybody. We just want to appeal to people to cooperate with us. We will be here to talk to the people in case of any issue and we are also working with our partner, the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN),” he said.
Also speaking, managing director of Planet Projects, the firm that designed the project, Biodun Otunola said prior to the commencement of the construction, adequate feasibility studies were carried out, and that the project, upon completion, would facilitate total transformation of Oshodi and International Airport corridor.
He said in as much as there would not be alternative roads created specifically for the project, adequate measures have been put in place to educate the public on the staging that would be developed, saying that the project would be executed in phases, while motorists will make use of other sections of the road during construction work on a particular section.
